1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems for editing content data. Particularly, the present invention relates to a video-content editing system, a video processing apparatus, an editing apparatus, a computer program, and a content processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A program that is broadcasted is produced by editing a plurality of content materials (content data) such as images captured at sites of newsgathering. The editing of content data includes, for example, coarse editing and final editing. In coarse editing, video scenes to be broadcasted are selected from a plurality of pieces of content data and range of the video scenes are defined. In final editing, final content data (perfect package) that is used as a final product is produced based on at least one video scene selected in coarse editing. A video scene refers to a collection of at least one video cut. A video cut refers to content data captured in a take and having an extraction start point (In-point) and an extraction end point (Out-point) specified. A take refers to an imaging process that is continued from a start to an end of a single recording operation.
In coarse editing, in order for logging of video scenes, video cuts that constitute parts of video scenes must be extracted. Thus, first, content data that will be needed is selected from a plurality of pieces of content data.
When content data has been selected, a video cut is extracted by recording an extraction start point (In-point) and an extraction end point (Out-point) of each piece of content data selected, for example, on paper.
When video cuts have been extracted, one or more video cuts extracted from the content data are combined in accordance with video scenes to be used in final editing, whereby a video scene is produced. The art is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-290731.
As described above, in the process of coarse editing of content data captured, video cuts suitable for video scenes needed in final editing must be selected from content data captured in takes. For example, in the case of video data of an interview in a news program for broadcasting, special video data including a scene of a critical moment when a strobe flash is emitted from a camera to an object is often included.
Thus, for example, in order to select special video cuts corresponding to special video data including, for example, a scene with a flash, generally, after imaging, content data recorded on a recording medium is played back from the beginning by a recording/playback apparatus such as a video tape recorder (VTR) and special video data needed is selected by a person in charge of editing.
However, in order for logging, i.e., selecting video cuts corresponding to special video data, content data captured must be played back from the beginning.
Furthermore, video cuts corresponding to special video data are often selected by playing back and rewinding content data repeatedly.
Since coarse editing includes a process of logging content data by visually searching for special video data from a plurality of pieces of content data captured on a take-by-take basis, and a process of extracting video cuts by specifying ranges (In-points and Out-points) of video cuts, improvement in the efficiency of coarse editing has been inhibited.